Air French Band Dunckel Goes Solo

Pitchfork reports that according to a Billboard.com interview with Air member JB Dunckel, the French duo is almost done with its upcoming studio album, which is slated for an early 2007 release on Astralwerks. Also, Dunckel will put out a solo record via Astralwerks on September 19 under the moniker Darkel. Dunckel told Billboard.com that the name was inspired by the black keys on a piano: "Most of the tracks contain some piano, and the chords are on the black keys most of the time, because I like the sound of that. Also, it was made very late at night. You have this attraction for the blackness, the space."